The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-01
ALL-HALLOWEEN.
Old Rites and Childish Games on the
Vigil of All Saints.

Last night was All-Hallowe'en, and the
vigil of All Saints was merrily observed in
hundreds of homes. Small-boydom had a
jolly time Of it; but what was FUN for the
boys will not be fun for the older heads
when they find their front gates roosting on
neighbours piazza and their own door
steps loaded down with somebody elses fence
this morning There were quite a number
of social entertainments, and the eve of
All-Hallows did not have to go begging
for observance. The ceremonies attending
Halloween are two-fold--eccesiastic and
social.
In the church solemn prayers are made
for the welfare of the souls Of the departed
saints, aud by superstition that ante dates
the Introduction of the Christian religion III
Britain it was supposed that spirits were
abroad on the last night of October. The
nuts, apples, cabbages, kale-stalks, prop
critics. of the performance, to
use theatrical term, all show
its rural origin, and the ringing of
door bells, tin horns, tic-tacs, cabbages to
be thrown at front doors, and cabbage
stalks filled with burning hemp 10 be blown
through key-holes are doubtless intended to
make up in a human way for any delin-
quency on the part of spirits who ought TO
be about and making themselves known.
Viewed in the light of an aid to ghostly
powers, the tricks that are so worrisome to
grown-up people become more eXphcable,
but scarceley less intolerable.
The same belief in the efficacy of spirits
on this particular evening has introduced
the sentimental element into the observ-
ances.
The maidens in Scotland who walk to a
spring and look into the waters hope to find
by supernatural aid the face of their future
husbands mirrored on its surface. A lonely
room lighted but by a single candle is the
scene in which lass must pose before a
looking glass, and as she eats an apple she
will see the features Of her intended starting
out on the surface IF the glass.
The placing of chestnuts on the hearth
stone, each named, and the bursting Of the
shells of the first two have for lovesick girls
and boys meaning that looks toward
matrimony.
Zone / love, two I love, three l love,
say" always a fascinating method of ro-
mantle divination, is especially fraught
with meaning when practiced on All
Saints Eve. To those who are incredulous
and cannot believe in the portents of ap-
Piles and nuts, there is still the fun of bob
bing for apples, picking a ring from a heap
of fiaky flour or trying to catch the swing
ing apple. Then too there is general feel
ing of hilarity and license that induces the
elders to unbend and enter into the round
games and Virginia reels with the feeling
expressed in the distich:
little nonsense now and then
Is reshed by the wisest men.
One of the prettiest ceremonies comes to
us from Russia. English walnuts are split
in two and in each half is placed a small
folded paper with name--an equal number
of each sex. A wax taper is placed in each
half, red one for the boys and green one
for the girls. The nuts are then placed III
basin of water and the tapers lighted.
When a shell with a green taper collides
with one containing red match they are
taken from the basin and the names are
read, the significance of the collision being,
of course, prophetic of marriage.